THE HOLOCENE FORAMINIFERAL RECORD OF NORTHEASTERN NORTH CAROLINA AS A HARBINGER OF FUTURE COASTAL CHANGE

Foraminiferal data from many surface and core samples have contributed significantly to our understanding of Holocene coastal evolution in northeastern North Carolina. Rising sea level flooded latest Pleistocene river drainages between 11,000 and 7,000 yrs BP to form narrow estuaries that broadened into open bays over the next few thousand years. Approximately 3,000 yrs BP the Outer Banks (OBX) barrier islands began to form near their present location, eventually restricting circulation, and several large estuarine coastal sounds resulted. At least one large gap in the central OBX existed until ca. 1,250 yrs BP. Coastal wetlands underwent significant ecological change as barrier/inlet configurations varied. Approximately 1,100 yrs BP, possibly due to one or more hurricanes, the southern OBX collapsed into a subaqueous bar containing a characteristic foraminiferal assemblage. Behind the bar distinctive shelf foraminifera populated southern Pamlico Sound. The marsh foraminifera-based sea level record at this time indicates a more rapid rise near the start of the Medieval Warm Period. The southern Outer Banks had reformed by ca. 500 yrs BP, thus returning estuarine conditions to southern Pamlico Sound. Several large inlets in the northern and central OBX closed in the early 19^th century resulting in significantly fresher estuarine waters. This Holocene record of paleoenvironmental change reminds us of the dynamic nature of the coast and that the current combination of climate warming, increased rate of sea-level rise, and coastal engineering will undoubtedly lead to increasingly complex coastal management issues.